Talk:Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20 (Chopin)

The Picardy third.
There is some controversy regarding the use of the Picardy third in the first section of this piece. Is there any cause perhaps to include some discussion of the relative merits of interpretation in this regard?

174.97.52.253 (talk) 23:17, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


 * My understanding is that because it appears in the third bar and not at the end of a section, it is therefore not a Picardy third in the strictest sense of the term. Whether the chord is minor or major is a moot point and will probably always be, as Chopin is no longer alive to settle it. However, playing the chord as C minor does seem to fit in without causing a disturbance to the melody whereas the C major chord introduces a peculiar modulation found nowhere else in the body of the work. Therefore it may be fairly reasonable to accept that the missing flat sign is an errata or typographical ommision (especially seeing that by some accounts it is present in other manuscripts) if the note was intended by Chopin to continue the C minor theme instead of a singular interruption. Ningnongtwit (talk) 14:22, 28 September 2020 (UTC)